A novel, highly stable, non-carbon support system for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has been discovered in the form of nano-structured (NbxTi1−x)Ns (x = 0.25 and 0.5). Template-free, solid–solid separation synthetic approaches have been used for preparing these materials. The (NbxTi1−x)N materials have high specific surface area and better electronic conductivity than carbon-based supports.